Florida

Toss a cigarette, get a felony, go to jail

By Bryant Jackson-Green
08/30/2013
Smokers should be careful not to flick too many cigarette butts out of their windows on their commute – starting next year, it could land them in prison for one to three years. The punishment sounds too outrageous to believe, but it’s true. Under a new Illinois law, someone who tosses a cigarette on the...

Myth of cream-skimming

08/27/2013
The lowest-performing public school students are the most likely to use and benefit from school choice programs according to a new study on Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program. In fact, 27.9 percent of students who participated in the program were in the bottom fifth of their prior public school’s mathematics test score distribution. These findings fly in...

TAGS: school choice, vouchers

Pat Quinn is fourth-highest paid governor in the country

By Hilary Gowins
07/10/2013
At a time when the state of Illinois has more than $100 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, more than $6 billion in unpaid bills and is coming off of its 13th credit downgrade since 2009, it might shock Illinoisans to hear that Gov. Quinn is one of the highest-paid governors in the country. Gov. Pat Quinn’s salary is $177,412. According...

U.S. Supreme Court should scrutinize Quinn’s plan to unionize Illinois moms and dads

By Paul Kersey
07/01/2013
Illinois resident Pam Harris has a son, Josh, who is 24 years old and suffers from Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a rare genetic malady that leaves him moderately handicapped mentally and at the same time affects his joints so that he is prone to dislocations. Josh can move around the house and do simple chores. He’s also...

TAGS: Pam Harris, SEIU: Service Employees International Union

Will Illinois embrace education innovation?

06/12/2013
Illinois legislators have a major decision to make: should the state adopt policies that will enable it to become a future hub of education innovation or should it institute laws that needlessly delay the policies necessary to create a school system that embraces technology? Thus far, Illinois has chosen the latter path. In fact, Gov. Pat...

Illinois competitiveness: ChiefExecutive.net ranks state 48th best for business

05/08/2013
by Ted Dabrowski Illinois politicians can’t hide from their decade-long policy failures. Jobs are scarce, as evidenced by the state’s 9.5 percent unemployment rate. That’s second worst in the nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s finances are in shambles and Illinois now pays the highest penalty rate for borrowing when compared to other states....
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Taxed out: 10 reforms to stop Illinois from losing people and jobs

Illinois’ tax code stands in the way of the state’s economic competitiveness. The combination of high tax burdens and a poor tax structure contributes to the loss of jobs and investment to other states. From a place of former economic dominance, Illinois now ranks 45th in gross state product (GSP) growth over the past decade...

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Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016